The Manor in the Woods
by sbartist357
Summary: It's Halloween and that means trick-or-treating! But our flightless heroes aren't doing that this year - they're going to a haunted house. However, things take an unexpected turn when they realize they have company, and not from the afterlife.
1. Penguins in the House

**Hello, world! :) We're halfway through October already so, to get everyone in the Halloween mood, here's a special Halloween-themed Penguins of Madagascar story for your reading enjoyment! :D This is my first holiday-themed story ever, so your feedback is much appreciated! Okay, let's get started!**

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It was shortly after the zoo's closing time, and it was already dark. The penguins were in their headquarters, preparing for a trip. That's because it was Halloween, and this year, Skipper and his team were going to a haunted house. Private wasn't very excited about the idea.

"Skippah, why are we going to a haunted house this year instead of trick-or-treating?"

"I figured we'd change it up a little, Private. Besides, this could be a good training exercise."

"Yeah, and I can investigate the mystery that is the paranormal!" Kowalski added, holding a bunch of equipment. Skipper turned to face him and placed his flippers on his hips.

"Kowalski, we're packing light for this trip. No gadgets allowed." The lieutenant frowned.

"Oh, come on! At least let me take one thing." Skipper rolled his eyes.

"Fine. One thing and that's it, comprende?" Kowalski smiled and went over to the table to decide which gadget to take. Private was still unsure about the whole thing.

"So, is this haunted house really. . . haunted?" He asked, tapping the tips of his flippers together nervously.

"Oh, yeah." Skipper frowned at how scared Private was acting. "You know, Private, I'm also doing this for you. You have to toughen up a little; you can't be scared of everything."

"I am not scared of everything!" Private replied defensively, puffing his chest out slightly. Skipper cocked an eyebrow.

"What about the badger incident?"

"Well, that was-"

"And the time Rico accidentally put that targeting system in the car?"

"Okay, that-"

"Not to mention the time I broke my flipper."

"Alright!" Private threw his flippers in the air, defeated. "I could probably use some more practice on not being scared."

"That's more like it!" Skipper slapped him on the back and turned to the others. "Alright, men. Are we all set?" Rico nodded.

"Uh-huh!" He mumbled eagerly. Kowalski, on the other hand, was still fussing over which device to take.

"Should I go with this one or that one?" He muttered to himself, looking back and forth at the objects on the table.

"Kowalski?" Skipper asked, staring at him.

"Or maybe I should take this other one. . ."

"Kowalski." Skipper tried again, louder this time.

"Then again, that one might be more useful. . ."

"KOWALSKI!" The lieutenant jumped and turned around. "Hurry up and pick something! We're all ready to go!" Kowalski looked hastily through his inventions and picked one at random.

"Okay, I picked one out."

"Good, now let's go." Rico swung open the fish plaque which led to their secret tunnels and started toward the garage. Skipper, Kowalski, and Private followed. They climbed into their car and Rico began the drive to the haunted house.

It was a cloudy night in New York City. A storm was brewing, as it was windy and the air felt cool and damp. They drove in silence, which made Private feel uneasy. He tried to think of something to add a little bit of atmosphere to the ride.

"Hey Skippah, could we listen to the radio or something? It's awfully quiet."

"Sure, I don't see why not. Rico, radio." The mohawked penguin regurgitated a small one. It flew into the air and Skipper caught it. He turned it on and adjusted the dial until he found a station. The radio announcer started talking.

"News flash! An armored car robbery has just occurred. Three men have escaped on foot and are believed to be hiding somewhere in one of the outer boroughs. They are heavily armed. If you know their whereabouts, please contact your local police." Skipper turned the radio off.

"Well, so much for the atmosphere bit." He muttered. Private was even more scared now.

"Do you think there's a chance that those guys are hiding in the house we're going to?" He questioned. Kowalski, who was sitting next to him in the back seat, shook his head.

"Impossible, Private. The haunted house we're going to is out in the middle of nowhere, with only a forest surrounding it. They wouldn't hide there at all." The lieutenant stopped as his own words sunk in. "Um, Skipper? Do you think that-"

"Kowalski, I'm sure they're not going to be hiding there. You and Private are just getting all worked up because it's Halloween, that's all."

A few minutes later, the penguins arrived at the haunted house. Actually, it was a more of a mansion than a house - it was huge. Like all places deemed with such a title, it was worn down, with dusty old windows and chipped paint. The penguins parked their car behind a thicket of barren shrubs and got out. On cue, a streak of lightning flashed across the darkened sky above the mansion. Private quivered.

"It certainly looks haunted."

"Well, what else would you expect from a place with the word 'haunted' in the name?" Skipper said. "Alright, let's head inside." The four penguins waddled over to the door. Rico jumped up, turned the doorknob, and dropped back down. The door slowly opened, creaking from the lack of use over the years. They went inside.

They were now standing in the entryway. Ahead of them was a flight of stairs and a hallway next to it. To their right, they could see what looked to be a living room. Everything was covered in spider webs and dust. They took a few steps forward. Suddenly, there was another creak as the door shut itself behind them. The penguins turned around and looked at it.

"What caused that to happen?" Private inquired.

"I presume the door's weight caused it to close itself," Kowalski replied. "Either that or paranormal activity, although I can't be sure since I don't have all my equipment with me."

"Oh, well." Skipper shrugged. "Come on, let's look around." They started to explore.

In another part of the mansion, a well-dressed man was sitting in a large room with a few pieces of furniture wrapped in plastic. A second man, wearing a slightly rumpled suit and appearing to have a lack of intelligence, entered the room and approached him.

"Hey, Lefty, I heard the door creak. I think someone's come in. Do you want me to find them and bump them off?" He asked, pulling a gun from his jacket pocket. Lefty raised his hand.

"No, Red, I think that's a job for Angel." He got up and the two of them walked over to the corner of the room where a third man was sitting, his back turned to them. The man was busy chopping into a block of wood with a machete.

"Angel. . ." Lefty said. The man stopped whittling and turned to face him. Unlike the others, he was grotesque, with a tall, gangly figure and a hunchback.

"Hmm?" He grunted. He was unable to speak.

"There are strangers in the house." Angel stared down at his machete and back at Lefty.

"Uh?" He asked, gesturing to it. Lefty nodded. The hunchback got up and hobbled out of the room. The others watched him leave. Lefty tapped Red's shoulder.

"Angel will take care of them; he'll do a nice, quiet job." Red nervously reached for his own throat at the thought of it.

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 **Well, that's not good. :( What will happen next? Will our favorite penguins survive? :O As for references, Skipper's examples of Private being afraid were from the episodes "Badger Pride", "Driven to the Brink", and "I Was a Penguin Zombie" (in that order). :)**


	2. The Encounter

**Hi again! :) I received some reviews! :D Thank you to Penguins005 and Guest! I've replied below:**

 **Penguins005: Thank you! :D Good question. :) Well, Red, Lefty, and Angel are characters from somewhere else; I didn't make them up or anything. Like the first chapter implied, they're the armored car robbers that the penguins heard about on the radio. You don't have to know where they're from to enjoy the story, though; you can just think of Cecil and Brick from the episode "Hot Ice", only with a psychotic hunchback as their accomplice. :)**

 **Guest: Wow, a lot of words, there. :) That's true. It's okay! X) Yeah, being mysterious makes it a lot scarier. This story will get scarier/more dramatic in the later chapters (the first one was just to set up the situation and all). I hope you like the story as it progresses! :)**

 **Okay! Let's see what happens next!**

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The penguins walked into what appeared to be a kitchen. Pots and pans were strewn everywhere, and stacks of dirty dishes filled the sink. Rico spotted the refrigerator and went over to it. He pulled the door open and was pleasantly surprised to see it full of food.

"'Ey! Look!" He climbed up the racks and grabbed a juice box. The others waddled over and looked up at him.

"Skippah, haunted houses don't have fully-stocked refrigerators, right?"

"Not that I know of." He replied. "Kowalski, analysis."

"Hmm. . . That's strange. However, the food could be expired; the rest of the kitchen indicates that nobody has been here in a long time." Rico stabbed the straw into the juice box and took a sip.

"Uh-uh, the ju'ce is good." He grunted, dropping back down to the floor with it.

"Well, juice boxes do have a long shelf life, I suppose," Kowalski said.

"Okay, then. Let's look somewhere else." Skipper suggested. They left the kitchen and waddled down the hallway. Eventually, they turned around a corner and continued down an even longer hallway with multiple doors on both sides.

"I think I liked the outside better; this place gives me the willies," Private said, waddling behind the others. They happened to be walking in a straight line.

"Come on, Private. Remember what I said: You need to toughen up a little." Skipper answered, continuing to lead them down the hall.

"Skippah, how long are we going to stay here?"

"All night if we have to, Private." There was silence.

"Skippah?" The leader sighed.

"What is it now, Private?"

"It's just the four of us here, right?" Skipper rolled his eyes.

"Of course, Private." He was growing slightly weary of the young penguin's questions.

"Then, why are there five shadows on the wall?" This made Skipper stop and blink in surprise. He and the others looked at the wall to see that Private was right.

"Kowalski, analysis."

"Hmm. . ." He said, tapping his beak in thought. "I would say that could be the result of- OH MY GOODNESS!" His eyes widened as he noticed a huge man standing right behind Private. The others turned around and stared at the man in shock.

"Kowalski, options." Skipper said, slightly concerned.

"I suggest we. . . RUN FOR OUR LIVES!"

"Good plan!" They belly-slid further down the hallway just as Angel swung his machete at them. The blade embedded itself into the floor, and the man wiggled it back and forth to free it. He continued his pursuit, although, due to his physical disability, he could only hobble after them.

Meanwhile, the penguins had split up into two pairs. Kowalski and Rico rushed into one of the many rooms and closed the door behind them, while Skipper and Private had done the same a few rooms down on the other side of the hallway.

"Okay, so I guess this house isn't haunted after all." Skipper said, leaning against the door. Private was trembling.

"That must be one of the guys we heard about on the radio. We walked right into their hiding place!" The young penguin whimpered.

"Calm down, Private. We'll get out of here, but we're going to need a plan. Kowalski-" He looked around and noticed that he and Rico weren't with them. "Well, we're going to have to find Kowalski and Rico first."

In the other room, Kowalski was breathing heavily from the rush of adrenaline and leaning forward with his head and flippers on the door. Behind him, Rico was still drinking from the juice box he found earlier. Kowalski stood up straight and turned around to see that he still had it.

"We almost get killed by a homicidal maniac, and you're just standing there drinking juice?!" Rico grumbled that he wasn't going to let perfectly good juice go to waste. The lieutenant sighed.

"Whatever. We need to find Skipper and Private, but we don't know if that lunatic is still out there." Kowalski peeked under the door. He couldn't see much, but he wasn't interested in opening the door to get a better look. He got up and turned to face Rico.

"I guess we'll just wait until they call out for us."

"Okay," Rico grunted, continuing to enjoy his juice box.

Meanwhile, Skipper was looking under the door to check for the human. Like Kowalski, he couldn't see a whole lot, so he got back up and looked at Private.

"I'm going to check and see if the coast is clear." He jumped up to the doorknob and turned it. The door swung open, just enough for him to slip back out of the room. Skipper poked his head out into the hall, looked both ways, and stepped out.

"Come on, Private. He's gone." Private shakily joined him and they waddled back in the direction they came from.

"Kowalski! Rico! Where are you?" Skipper called, cupping his flippers around his beak to project his voice. Inside the room, the others heard him.

"Hey, Skipper!" Kowalski shouted. "We're in here!"

"Alright, I hear you!" Skipper called back, heading to their door. He jumped up and turned the knob, but the door didn't open.

"Kowalski, did you lock the door?" Private asked. The scientist face-flippered.

"Sorry! I'll unlock it!" He tried to jump up to the lock, but something held him back. "Rico, let go of me. I need to unlock the door to let them in!"

"Uhh. . ." Rico mumbled nervously, raising his flippers. Kowalski slowly looked up to see the hunchback, leaning over and gently grabbing his and Rico's shoulders.

"AHHHHHH!" Kowalski slipped out of the man's grip, unlocked the door, and ran into the hallway, trampling Skipper and Private in the process.

Rico twisted free and chucked his juice box at the guy's face. Angel stumbled back and wiped the juice off with his free hand, grumbling angrily. Rico slipped out of the room and followed Kowalski. Skipper and Private got up and rushed back to the room they had just been in. They hid under a table with a sheet draped over it and tried to stay quiet.

The light from the hallway came into the room as the door opened fully, and the deranged killer entered. As they stayed put under the tablecloth, one thought came to Skipper's mind: If they made one wrong move, this Halloween could very well be their last.

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 **Yikes! :O Will the deranged hunchback find Skipper and Private? Where did Kowalski and Rico run off to?**


	3. Close Calls

**I'm back! Thank you Penguins005 for reviewing! :) Well, let's see if they make it through this chapter! :O Cool! :D I'll be sure to check it out once you update it! Alright, this chapter will switch back and forth a little (similar to the previous one), just so you know. :) Okay, let's pick up right where we left off.**

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"Skippah, what are we going to do?" Private whispered.

"Well, for one, we're going to stay quiet," He replied. "And two, if he lifts the tablecloth, we're going to split up and hide." Private didn't like the idea.

"What if something happens?" The leader looked Private straight in the eyes.

"Look, Private, we have a better chance of escaping if we split up than if we don't." They glanced at the tablecloth again. Angel's shadow grew bigger as he got closer to them. He slowly reached his hand under the trim of the fabric. Skipper squinted in determination.

"Get ready to run."

"But-" At that moment, the killer lifted the cloth and glared at them.

"Go, go, go!" Skipper bolted to the right, slipping behind a bureau. Private yelped and went to the left. The man swung his weapon, slicing through the table leg and causing the entire table to collapse. He grunted and looked around the room.

Private was now on top of a dresser with ceramic penguin statues. Apparently, the room was filled with them, so he figured he could hide in plain sight. He stood close to the wall and tried to blend in. Surely the criminal wouldn't waste his energy destroying the statues if he just wanted to kill them, right? Wrong. He watched in horror as Angel hobbled over to the dresser and raised his machete. The young penguin screamed as the blade came down.

Behind the bureau, Skipper heard Private's scream followed by a loud crash. He gasped. As much as he wanted to check and see if he was okay, he didn't want to blow his cover. He anxiously waited for the man to leave.

Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long, as the hunchback stalked out of the room and shut the door a moment later. Skipper snuck out of his hiding spot. The floor was now covered in shattered penguin statues. He carefully stepped around the debris and searched for Private.

"Private?" He asked. There was no answer. He continued toward the corner of the room.

"Private?" He tried again. This time, he heard a muffled whimper to his left. He turned and saw Private on the floor next to the dresser, lying on his stomach and covering his face with his flippers. His entire body was trembling in fear. Skipper approached him and tapped his shoulder. The young penguin stiffened.

"Private, it's okay. He's gone." He said, kneeling next to him. Private looked up at Skipper, his eyes glossy.

"I'm still alive?"

"Of course, Private, although it was a very close call." He replied, pointing to some of Private's feathers on the floor. The small penguin looked at them and twisted to look at his back; luckily, the only damage done was a few ruffled feathers. Skipper helped him up and led him to the door.

"Let's go find the others."

In a different hallway, Kowalski and Rico were wandering around, unsure of what to do.

"We have to find Skipper and Private again, but who knows where that crazed maniac is?" Kowalski asked. Behind him, Rico pointed at himself.

"Right 'ere." He grumbled teasingly. Kowalski rolled his eyes.

"I mean the other crazed maniac. The one that's trying to kill us." Rico shrugged and turned around. The man was standing right behind them. The scarred penguin reached back and tapped Kowalski's shoulder.

"K'walski?"

"What?"

"Look." The scientist turned around and saw what Rico was staring at. Angel raised his weapon.

Kowalski shrieked and sprinted down the corridor with Rico right behind him. The mohawked penguin coughed up a banana peel and tossed it over his shoulder. Angel slipped on it and fell backward, losing his grip on the machete.

As the penguins continued running, Rico looked up to see the blade heading straight for Kowalski. He quickly reached out and yanked Kowalski backward. A second later, the machete stabbed into the floor in front of them. Kowalski stared at it in shock. Rico let him go and the tall penguin turned to face him.

"Thanks, Rico." He started to run back in the direction they came from, but Rico grabbed his flipper.

"'Ey! Where you goin'?"

"Away from that deranged maniac!" He yelled. Rico groaned and pointed out that he was heading straight toward him. Kowalski looked down the hallway to see that Rico was right - panic didn't do much for helping him think clearly, to say the least.

"Oh, yeah. Come on!" They ran further down the corridor. The two penguins entered the first room they could find and closed the door behind them. It was pitch-black, so Rico regurgitated a flashlight and turned it on.

"Okay, so we need to find the others. Do you have a map of the place?" Rico tapped the bottom of his beak, thinking.

"Uhh. . ." He coughed up a brochure of the haunted mansion and handed it to Kowalski. He skimmed through the pamphlet to see if it had a map. Fortunately, it did.

"Alright, according to the map, we're over here," Kowalski said, pointing to their location. "Skipper and Private were roughly around this other area. It looks like the room we're in is connected to some of the others, so we can cut through them instead of wandering the halls."

"Okay!" The penguins started making their way back to where they had split up.

While the others were backtracking, Private and Skipper were waddling through a different hallway, not too far away from where they first saw Angel.

"Kowalski. . . Rico. . ." Private called.

"They're probably in another part of the house." Skipper guessed after they received no response. He was a few feet behind Private. The young penguin nodded.

"Skippah, doesn't it seem strange to you that, even though that man can't get around as fast as we can, he still manages to find us?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of cliché, but yeah."

"Also, when Kowalski and Rico were in that room, and we were trying to get in, he was somehow in the room with them."

"True. This whole thing sounds like one of those typical scary movies on TV. In fact, usually around this point, someone winds up falling into a trap-DOOOOOOOR!" Skipper waddled over said trapdoor and fell in, the panel closing shortly after him. Private turned around to see he was alone.

"Skippah!" He looked at the floor, but the panel was so well-hidden, he couldn't find it. "Oh, dear!" He ran into a nearby room to search for the others.

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 **Skipper's missing! D: Is he okay? Will Private find Kowalski and Rico (or vice-versa)? Where will Skipper wind up? :O SO MANY QUESTIONS! :[**


	4. Penguin a la Carte

**Okay! Here we are at the next chapter! Thanks to Penguins005 for reviewing! :D Well, let's continue the story! :)**

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Skipper landed in what looked to be the basement of the house. He stood up and took in his new surroundings. There was a lot of junk piled up around him, so he started walking around in search of the exit. A few minutes later, he reached the foot of the stairs leading up to the ground floor.

"Aha!" He exclaimed, rubbing his flippers together. He flipped up the small flight of stairs and opened the door which led to the hallway near the entryway of the house. As luck would have it, the lunatic was walking past at that moment and stopped in front of the doorway. Skipper frowned as the man stared down at him.

"Private was right: This is strange."

Meanwhile, Private was standing on top of a dresser with a mirror, checking his ruffled feathers.

"I hope my missing feathers will grow back soon." He smoothed the remaining ones down as best as he could and turned to face the mirror directly. Private smiled at himself, which made him feel a little better. Something in the reflection caught his eye and he looked down at the counter. It was a blue ribbon.

"Oh, it's nothing." He said. When he looked up, he saw the others standing next to him on the dresser. He yelped in surprise and turned to face them.

"Kowalski! Rico! How did you get here?" They briefly explained their room-hopping plan to him.

"Are you okay?" Kowalski asked.

"Yes, I'm fine, although I lost a few feathers, see?" He turned around and pointed at his back.

"'Ey, where's Skipper?" Rico mumbled.

"I don't know! We were walking down the hallway looking for you, and he fell through a trapdoor! I couldn't find it."

"Well, let's look around for it, then." The lieutenant replied. Private led them to the hallway where Skipper was last seen.

While the others went to search the corridors, Skipper and Angel were still staring at each other. Eventually, the hunchback started reaching for him. The penguin slid under the man's legs and headed up the other flight of stairs they saw when they first entered. Angel grunted and began his slow but steady pursuit. Skipper reached the top of the steps and ran into the first room. He quickly shut the door behind him and locked it. He sighed in relief.

"Okay, that should take care of him." He turned around to see two men - the other armed robbers - sitting down at the far side of the room. Red spotted Skipper and pointed at him.

"Hey, Lefty, look! A pelican!" The other thug looked at where his accomplice was pointing.

"That's a penguin, you moron!" Suddenly, the man thought of something. "Wait a minute, that bird must've been the 'stranger' you thought came in earlier. Grab him."

Red started walking across the room toward him. Figuring he had enough time to escape, Skipper jumped up to unlock the door. Just as he finished, he felt the air being squeezed out of his lungs as Red grabbed him.

He tried wiggling free, but it was no use - his flippers were pinned to his sides, and he couldn't move. The man smiled mischievously and brought him over to Lefty. The man noticed Skipper wheezing and glared at his accomplice.

"Loosen your grip, Red! You're suffocating it!" To Skipper's relief, Red did as he was told, giving him just enough room to breathe.

"Oops. Hey, Lefty, what's this penguin doing all the way out here in the first place?" The man rolled his eyes.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe he and some of his other penguin pals wanted to go to some haunted house for Halloween!" He yelled sarcastically. His stupid accomplice smiled.

"That sounds like fun!" Red exclaimed. Lefty rubbed his face, exasperated.

"No, you dope! He's a penguin! He's not smart! He probably just got lost or something."

"So, what are we going to do with him, Lefty?" He asked. Lefty tapped his chin.

"Tie him up while I think of something." Red found some rope lying conveniently on the floor in the corner of the room and tied Skipper up from neck to toe. After he was sure Skipper was tied well enough, he showed him to Lefty.

"Okay, Lefty, I tied him up, just like you said."

"Great, Red." The man replied flatly.

"Now what?" Skipper rolled his eyes; what use was he to them?

"I have an idea!" The man exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "We'll eat him." Skipper's eyes widened.

"You're stark-raving mad!" He shouted. Of course, to the humans, it sounded like a string of loud, obnoxious squawks. Lefty glared at him.

"Ugh, Red, tie his beak shut! I don't want to hear any more of his annoying bird calls!" Skipper squinted at him.

"Well, you're going to hear more of it, you big-" Red pinched his beak shut and used some tape to keep it that way. Skipper pecked the thug's hand.

"Ouch!" Red dropped him and Skipper landed hard on the floor. The criminal pulled his gun out and aimed at the penguin.

"Why I oughta-" Lefty grabbed Red's arm.

"What are you doing!?" The two struggled, the gun still pointed at the floor.

In another part of the mansion, the others heard a loud bang. They froze.

"What was that?" Private asked, although, deep down in his gut, he knew the answer.

"It sounded like a gun," Kowalski replied. Rico muttered worriedly.

"Let's go!" They slid down the hallway as fast as they could.

Up in the room, Red and Lefty slowly looked down; there was a fresh bullet hole in the floor, just inches from Skipper's head. The penguin, who had shut his eyes when the gun went off, slowly opened them and turned his head to the left; if it had been just a bit closer. . .

He took a deep breath, relieved. Lefty, seeing Skipper was still alive and well, stood up straight and gave Red a slap to the back of the head.

"You idiot! Look what you almost did!" He yelled, gesturing to Skipper. The other criminal put his gun away.

"Sorry, Lefty."

"We want him to stay fresh longer, understand?" Lefty leaned down and picked Skipper up, making sure to keep his hand away from the penguin's beak. Red nodded.

"Uh, why are we going to eat him?" Skipper looked at Lefty - he wanted to know, too.

"Remember when we went into the kitchen? All the food in there is expired!"

"The juice boxes were good." Lefty facepalmed with his free hand.

"Besides that! If we're going to hide from the police, we can't go out to buy anything. Penguins are birds, so he's practically a chicken," He handed Skipper over to his fellow criminal. "Put him in the next room and leave him there."

"Okay, Lefty." He went into the hallway and entered the next room. Unlike the other rooms, this one had no door.

The room was mostly bare, with only a rectangular table in the center and a large dollhouse in the corner. After placing Skipper on the table, Red grabbed a conveniently penguin-sized chair from the dollhouse and returned. He sat Skipper in it and tied him up with some more rope. He faced him away from the exit and left, leaving him alone in the dimly-lit room.

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 **Oh no! :O Skipper's going to be on the menu if the others don't rescue him in time! D:**


	5. Searching for Skipper

**Woo-hoo! Chapter five is up! :) Thank you, Penguins005 and Guest for sending in some reviews!**

 **Penguins005: I know! D: Skipper needs to be rescued! I read your haunted house chapter; I liked it! I gave it a review as well. :)**

 **Guest:** **Hmm. . . That is a good question. ;) It's totally okay! ^v^ Aww, thank you! :3 I try my best to write quality fanfics for the people. :D**

 **Okay! Let's continue the story!**

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Private, Kowalski, and Rico were running down the hallways, desperately searching for Skipper.

"We need to be careful to avoid triggering any traps," Kowalski said. "Watch where you step!"

"Okay!" As soon as Private said that, he stepped on one. Instead of a trapdoor, though, it was a springboard. The small penguin was launched upward into an air vent and disappeared. Kowalski and Rico stopped and looked up at the ceiling.

"Pwivate!"

"Okay, we're going to need a new plan."

Upstairs, Skipper groaned in irritation. He should've tried another way out. Granted, there weren't any windows in the room where Lefty and Red were, but he could've slipped underneath a piece of furniture or something and then sneak out later when they weren't looking.

As he mentally slapped himself, the feathers on the back of his neck stood on end; he had the unsettling feeling that someone was in the room with him. Ever so slowly, he looked up and turned as much as he could to see Angel standing behind him. The killer raised his machete. Skipper, unable to do anything to defend himself, shut his eyes and waited for the fatal blow. Just then, Lefty called from the other room.

"Hey, Angel! Don't kill that penguin yet! We want to catch all of them first!" The hunchback mumbled and reluctantly lowered the blade. Skipper opened his eyes a crack to see the man hobble away. He sank back in the chair, relieved. However, he thought about what Lefty said; somehow, they found out he wasn't the only penguin there. Hopefully, the others wouldn't get caught.

Private continued tumbling through a long maze of air shafts. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the young penguin fell through the ceiling into a room and landed flat on his back. The impact knocked the wind out of him, and he closed his eyes. As he regained his breath, he heard something. He opened his eyes and looked to his right to see Skipper all tied up.

"Skippah!" He cried, standing up. The leader mumbled in response. Private waddled over to him and noticed the tape wrapped around his beak.

"Oh, dear! Hang on, I'll get that off." He carefully started removing the tape. It took a while (since there was a lot of it), but Private managed to get it all and Skipper could open his beak again.

"Well, young Private, it's a good thing you showed up," He whispered, smiling. "But we have to get out of here, and quick!"

"Yeah! Hey, Skippah, how did you get captured?"

"There's no time for that now, Private. Just untie me and I'll tell you later." Private moved so he was directly in front of Skipper, reached toward the ropes, and started to untie him. He talked while he did so.

"Skippah, I found Kowalski and Rico. Well, they found me, really. I was standing on this dresser, and-" While Private spoke, Skipper heard the thugs exiting the room next door, conversing.

"How much longer do we have to wait until we eat, Lefty?"

"Not much longer, Red. Angel will find the others soon." Skipper tried telling Private to quiet down.

"Private. . ." The young penguin continued talking, oblivious.

"Then, when we were out in the hallway, we heard a shot! We were so worried that-" Skipper tuned him out and continued listening to the thugs in the hallway.

"Hey Lefty, how do you cook a penguin?" The other man raised his hand to shut him up.

"Shh. Did you hear something?" Lefty asked. The leader grew nervous.

"Private. . ." The young penguin fumbled with the ropes, growing slightly flustered. He threw his flippers in the air.

"Ugh, these ropes are tied really tight!" He shouted. Skipper closed his eyes and shook his head in disappointment as he heard Lefty and Red enter the room. Private dropped his flippers and looked up at them.

"Hey, look! Another peacock!"

"Penguin!"

"Oh, yeah. I'll get him." Skipper mouthed for Private to run, but the young penguin shook his head.

"Wait, Skippah, I have a better idea!" He ran a few inches away.

Private shut his eyes and clenched his flippers, shaking slightly. Skipper, realizing what he was doing, quickly closed his eyes. Red started to reach for him. Suddenly, a rainbow appeared above the small penguin as he struck a certain cute pose: It was Private's Quantum Hyper-Cute. The thug stopped in his tracks.

"Aww, that is so cute!" He collapsed onto the floor, unconscious. Lefty took one look at Private and did the same thing. The young penguin stood straight again and waddled back over to Skipper.

"It's okay, Skippah. You can open your eyes now." The leader did so and looked at Private.

"Nice work, Private!" He grinned.

"Thanks, Skippah! I still don't like using it, but this was an emergency."

"They won't stay unconscious for long; you better get out of here." Private frowned but nodded.

"Don't worry, Skippah. We'll come back for you." He gave him a quick salute and slid off the table, ran past the two humans, and made his escape. Shortly after he left, Red and Lefty woke up.

"Ugh, what happened?" Lefty groaned, stretching.

"I don't know," Red mumbled. "The pe-"

"Wait! Where's that other penguin?" They looked around but didn't see him. "Great, he escaped. Come on, Red! We won't let him or the others get away!" Lefty and his accomplice got up and ran out of the room, pulling their guns out in the process.

* * *

 **They better watch out! :O Red, Lefty, AND Angel are after them now! D: Will Private be able to find the others and warn them? Will they manage to save Skipper?**


	6. Trying to Escape

**Welcome back! :D Thank you to Penguins005 for sending in another review! :) Okay, so when we last left our feathered protagonists, Private had just escaped from the dangerous criminals and is trying to find the others. Meanwhile. . .**

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Kowalski and Rico were walking around the corridors, trying to think of a plan.

"Well, this isn't going so well, is it?" Kowalski said discouragingly. Rico shook his head.

"Uh-uh."

"Let's go back the way we came; maybe that'll help." They turned around and started heading back to the hallway where everything started. As they rounded the corner, something plowed into Kowalski, and he landed on his back.

"Kowalski! Rico! I found Skippah!" It was Private. Kowalski opened his eyes and looked at him.

"That's great, Private, but can you please get off me?"

"Oh, sorry!" The little penguin obliged and Rico helped Kowalski back on his feet.

"Where's Skipper?" Rico grumbled.

"He's upstairs. Oh, it's terrible! He's all tied up and, when I found him, his beak was taped shut!" Kowalski gasped. Rico, on the other hand, grew furious. He clenched his flippers, a deep growl sounding in his throat.

"How did he wind up like that!?" The lieutenant asked. After all, Skipper wasn't that easy to catch. Private shrugged.

"He didn't have time to tell me. As I was trying to free him, two more bad guys came in. I used my Hyper-Cute to escape." Kowalski tapped his beak in thought.

"Hmm. . . What did they look like?"

"Well, one of them was kind of tall and thin, wearing a nice suit, and the other was slightly shorter and wearing a rumpled one."

"Did one of them have a coffee stain on his jacket?" Private blinked.

"I don't know. Why?"

"Because they're heading down the hallway towards us." Kowalski pointed at the criminals. Private turned around and gasped. The penguins headed back to the adjacent hallway, turned right, and entered the first room they saw. Kowalski shut the door and locked it.

"What are we going to do? We have to save Skippah!"

"I know, but we have to escape from those two, first," Kowalski replied, turning around to face them.

Unfortunately, the room they were in didn't have any other exits, so they would have to wait until the thugs were gone. Rico thought of something. He grumbled something in gibberish and hunched over, pretending to hold a machete.

"Oh, yeah. We haven't seen him in a while. I wonder where he is?" Kowalski said, tapping his beak. Private shuddered at the mention of him.

"Well, I don't want to find out." He whimpered. A few minutes of silence passed. Finally, Kowalski spoke up.

"Okay, I think they're gone." He unlocked the door and opened it. He looked up in terror to see Angel glaring down at him, weapon raised. They stared at each other for a moment. Kowalski calmly closed the door again and locked it. He turned back around.

"We may be trapped."

Suddenly, a thin piece of wood flew off the door and landed on the floor behind them. They screamed as Angel continued breaking the door, causing more and more pieces to go flying. The penguins looked around, desperately searching for a hiding place. They slipped behind a chair next to the door.

Moments later, the maniac chopped a big enough hole to reach his hand in and unlock the door. He opened it and hobbled inside. Kowalski peeked out from behind the furniture. When Angel was far enough in, the penguins quickly slid out of the room and back the way they came. They ran right into the other criminals.

"There they are!" Red exclaimed, pointing at them.

"No duh!" Lefty shouted back, looking down at them. "Alright, come to Uncle Lefty." He started reaching for them. Rico growled, took a few steps back, and hacked up his flamethrower. Lefty's eyes widened.

"What the-?" Rico aimed and fired, sending a stream of flames right at them. The criminals jumped back in shock. The penguins slid into the adjacent hallway again and made a left. The two thugs looked at each other.

"Did you see what that parakeet did!?"

"Pengu-" Lefty facepalmed. "You know what? Forget it. Come on!" They resumed the chase.

Way ahead of them, Kowalski, Rico, and Private hid in another room to figure out how to save Skipper.

"Rico, I need that map again," Kowalski said. The scarred penguin regurgitated the item and gave it to him. He and Private waited while the lieutenant studied it.

"Okay, if we cut through these rooms, we'll eventually reach the entryway." Just then, Angel appeared in the doorway - they neglected to shut the door when they entered. Rico face-flippered.

"Aww, come on!" He gestured for the others to go ahead. Kowalski and Private hastily slid over to the door on the far side of the room, opened it, and disappeared. Rico coughed up a bunch of marbles and went after his teammates.

The hunchback stepped on one and slipped, crashing onto the hard floor, causing him to lose his grip on his weapon yet again. Just as Rico made it to the doorway, the machete embedded itself into the wall next to him. He stared at it for a moment before joining the others.

Kowalski and Private were already opening the door to the next room. Rico locked the door behind him; at least it would buy them some extra time. The three penguins went into the next room and Rico locked that door as well. The room they were now standing in was narrow, with two windows on the left wall and a door directly across from them. It was dark, except for the occasional flash of lightning outside.

"Alright, this is the last room before the entryway," Kowalski announced. "Let's-"

The sound of gunshots caused them to jump. The penguins stared at the door; apparently, the others had caught up and were shooting the lock. They ran toward the exit. As they made their way across, Private tripped on a bunch of wires and fell. They wrapped around his ankle and the young penguin hastily tried to free himself. By this time, the others were already at the door.

"Come on, Private!" Kowalski called.

"Help! I'm stuck!" In his panic, Private managed to entangle himself completely. They rushed back over to him. Rico quickly hacked up a knife and began cutting through the wires.

Meanwhile, the criminals finished destroying the lock and were fumbling with the doorknob. Private started to push the others away.

"Go ahead! They're coming in!"

"Private, we're not leaving you behind!"

"You have to save Skippah! Please go!" They watched as Lefty, Red, and Angel started coming in. Reluctantly, Kowalski headed for the door, opened it, and left. Rico glanced from Kowalski to Private.

"Pwivate. . ." He grumbled, not wanting to leave him.

"Rico, save Skippah. I'll be alright." The mohawked penguin swallowed the knife, gave Private a quick hug, and slid out of the room.

Private continued trying to free himself; fortunately, Rico had managed to loosen him a bit. Finally, he was able to stand back up; all that was left to free was his ankle. As he worked on that, the thugs walked over to him.

"End of the line, penguin." Lefty sneered. Private stopped trying to loosen the cord and looked up. Without a second thought, he did his Hyper-Cute. Lefty and Red dropped instantly, but Angel cocked his head to the side, unsure of what to make of it.

Out of the corner of his eye, Private could see the hunchback still standing there - for some reason, he was immune to it. Private began to worry; he couldn't hold that pose for long. Angel growled and sliced through the rainbow, causing multi-colored sparkles to fly out. The rainbow disappeared and Private lost his pose, panting slightly from the strain.

The hunchback glared at the small penguin. He lifted his machete again and swung it downward. The last thing Private saw was the blade heading toward him.

* * *

 **AHHHH! What's going to happen next?! :O Keep reading!**


	7. Flee

**Okay! Here we are at the climax of our Halloween tale! :) Thanks for reviewing, Penguins005! This starts about a second before the end of the previous chapter.**

* * *

Private instinctively jumped back the moment Angel swung the blade. It sliced through the wire, and the young penguin tumbled backward, slamming his head against the doorway. A weak breath escaped his beak and he went limp.

Meanwhile, Kowalski and Rico reached the top of the stairs and looked around.

"Skipper! Where are you?" The lieutenant called out.

"In here." The two penguins followed Skipper's voice into the second room and flipped onto the table. Kowalski and Rico couldn't help but stare at their commanding officer for a moment; it was strange to see him tied up like that. Skipper glared at them.

"Well, are you going to untie me or what?"

"Oh, sorry." The scientist mumbled, embarrassed. Rico carefully cut the knot holding the ropes together and Kowalski tugged them off. Skipper stood up and stretched.

"Ah, that's better."

"What 'appen'd?" Rico grunted.

"It's a long story," The leader replied, looking around. "Hey, where's Private?" Kowalski and Rico exchanged glances. Skipper squinted at them and crossed his flippers.

"Well?"

"Umm. . . Well, you see. . ." Kowalski explained the situation and told him they had to leave Private behind. Skipper slapped him.

"You NEVER leave a penguin behind, especially Private!"

"He told us to!"

"You should have pulled rank on him, then! What, a lieutenant has to take orders from a private?!" Skipper yelled.

Kowalski clammed up instantly, appearing hurt by the insult. Rico seemed slightly surprised by Skipper's anger. The leader rubbed his face, aggravated; they obviously didn't understand the severity of the situation. He grabbed the lieutenant's shoulders and shook him.

"Those madmen down there are planning on having us for dinner, Kowalski! You two just left Private to become their appetizer!" The others were stunned.

"W-We didn't know!" Kowalski stammered.

"You do now!" Skipper shot back. "Come on! Let's hope we're not too late!"

They jumped off the table and rushed downstairs, heading to the room they left Private in. The young penguin was lying motionless against the doorframe, his eyes closed. Skipper's heart dropped like a stone; he leaned against the wall with one flipper and placed the other over his heart. The others heard him stifling sobs. Rico moaned and closed his eyes while Kowalski sank to his knees. The criminals stood in the room, staring at the scene before them.

"Hmm. . . A little soon, Angel, but close enough," Lefty said, looking at Private. "Let's get the others."

They advanced on the remaining penguins. Skipper, Kowalski, and Rico slid toward the kitchen, the others in hot pursuit. Distraught with their tragic loss, the penguins kept sliding through the kitchen, into the hallway, and back around: In other words, they were going in circles. Kowalski eventually noticed this.

"Skipper, why are we going in circles?" He asked, continuing to slide for his life.

"I don't know, but it's keeping us alive a bit longer, isn't it?" He shouted back.

In the room by the entryway, Private's eyes slowly opened and he took in a quick breath. Where was he? He rubbed his eyes and looked around. The young penguin eventually realized where he was. He sat up and winced; he had a huge bump on the back of his head. He touched it tenderly with his flipper. Although he was more than happy to be alive, he didn't know how it was possible. He tried to think. The last thing he recalled was the killer's weapon coming down towards him and-

Private suddenly remembered everything and stared at his foot; a small piece of the rope was still wrapped around his ankle. He managed to pull it off and slowly got on his feet, holding onto the doorway to steady himself; his vision was blurry and the room was spinning slightly. As he recovered, another thought came to him.

"Where is everybody?" He looked out into the entryway and heard some commotion coming from the kitchen area. He gasped.

"Oh, dear! I have to help them!" Private slid over to the kitchen and looked around. He noticed a shelf with large barrels on it.

"Perfect!" He stumbled over to some cabinets and climbed up to the shelf. He squeezed behind one of the barrels and propped his feet against the wall and leaned his back on the barrel, trying to push it. It took all his strength, but it eventually started to move.

Down below, the penguins were still going in circles. Rico was hacking up all kinds of random objects, trying to deter the criminals, but they managed to keep up. The penguins, although they had quite a lot of stamina, were starting to get tired. If only something would help them out. Luckily, their wish came true.

As they slipped through the kitchen again, the sound of scraping caused Lefty to stop and look up. He was greeted with a heavy barrel plummeting toward him. It was a direct hit. The criminal stumbled conveniently away from the exit and collapsed, unconscious. The barrel broke into a bunch of pieces, sending bits of wood across the tiled floor. A plume of white rose from the spot where the barrel hit the floor, making it hard to see. Private rushed over to another barrel.

Again, the penguins slid through the kitchen. By this point, they had gone through it so many times that the sudden decrease in visibility didn't make a difference. Angel hobbled underneath the shelf and another barrel fell, shattering on his head. He grunted and staggered a few feet before face-planting out in the hallway.

"Okay, two down, one more to go," Private said to himself, slipping behind a third barrel. Hopefully, he wouldn't miss; he could hardly see anything down below.

Skipper, Kowalski, and Rico were really starting to feel it. Their lungs were burning and they wanted to stop and catch their breath. However, they knew they'd be plucked and stuffed if they did. As they went through the kitchen for the umpteenth time, they heard a loud crash behind them. Not wanting to risk looking back, they kept going. The kitchen was starting to become completely engulfed in white. Private, knowing that he hit Red, started to climb back down.

The others had given up sliding on their bellies and waddled back into the kitchen. They stopped in front of some cabinets across from the shelf to catch their breath.

"Ugh. . . I. . . need. . . OXYGEN. . ." Kowalski wheezed, leaning over with his flippers on his knees. Rico sat down and leaned back against the cabinet.

"Uh-huh. . ." He panted. Skipper looked around, taking deep breaths.

"I think. . . we lost them."

The kitchen was still covered in white fog. As it dissipated, they noticed a figure appear before them. They jumped slightly but stayed where they were. Skipper squinted.

"Private? Is that you?" He asked, tearing up a little. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't imagining it. The others looked at Private and got emotional as well.

"Yes, Skippah!" He chirped.

"You came back to say goodbye?" The leader asked, staring sadly at him.

"Oh, Private! We're so sorry! Please forgive us!" Kowalski cried, covering his face with his flippers. Rico wailed.

"Pwivate!" The young penguin looked at them, confused.

"Huh?" He looked down at himself and understood their reaction: He was completely white, giving him a ghostly appearance. He laughed and glanced up at them.

"Oh!" He brushed himself off, causing a cloud of white to puff out around him. When it disappeared, he looked a lot more like himself.

"I'm not a ghost; it's just flour!" The others stopped crying and stared at him for a moment. Skipper grinned.

"YOU'RE ALIVE!" He rushed over to hug him. The others approached them and did the same. After a couple of minutes, they let go of him.

"Private. . . We saw you lying against the doorway and thought you were. . ." Skipper's voice trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. Private frowned.

"Oh." He said, nodding in understanding. Kowalski noticed the bump on his head and gently touched it with his flipper. Private winced.

"What happened?" Kowalski asked. The young penguin told them everything that occurred after they left. Rico coughed up an ice pack and gave it to him. He gladly took it and pressed it against the wound.

"Thank you, Rico." Private pointed at the shelf. "After I woke up, I heard you being chased by the bad guys, so I climbed up there and dropped barrels of flour on them."

By this time, all the flour had settled, and the others were able to see Lefty, Red, and Angel sprawled out on the floor. Skipper gave Private a pat on the back.

"Well, young Private, you did an excellent job. Now we just need to tell the police to come and arrest these guys." Kowalski frowned.

"You know we can't talk to them, Skipper; they don't understand us." The leader turned to him and cocked an eyebrow.

"Remember when I told you to hurry up and pick something to take with you? Well, you chose the perfect item for this situation. Rico!" The mohawked penguin smiled and regurgitated the random gadget Kowalski had picked out: It was the Speak-and-Spell. The scientist stared at it, pleasantly surprised.

"Oh, now I remember! I'm so glad that was what caught my eye first."

"Yeah, me too. Rico, payphone." The mohawked penguin hacked up the item and it landed on the floor with a ring. Kowalski dialed the police and used the Speak-and-Spell to report the criminals. He hung the phone up and turned to the others.

"They're on their way."

* * *

 **Yay! Private is okay! :D Also, that random gadget Kowalski took in the very beginning of the story turned out to be exactly what they needed (I wasn't going to mention it in the first chapter if it wasn't going to play a part in the story)! X) Originally, I was going to write this chapter so that you readers wouldn't know Private was still alive until the others penguins found out, but I figured that would be cruel. ;)**


	8. Epilogue

**Well, here's the final chapter of the story. Thank you to everyone who reviewed throughout the course of it! :)**

* * *

About a half hour later, the penguins heard police cars pulling up in front of the mansion. They hid behind some furniture in the living room and watched as the police officers entered the mansion and headed toward the kitchen. Minutes later, Lefty, Red, and Angel were escorted out in handcuffs.

"Man, I'm glad that guy called us about these thugs." One officer said.

"Yeah, who knows what would've happened if they hadn't?" Another man agreed. The penguins left their hiding place and waddled into the entryway as they heard the police drive away. Skipper placed his flippers on his hips and grinned.

"Well, I think it's safe to say that this adventure is officially behind us." He announced. Private tapped his shoulder.

"Um, Skippah? You never told us how you got captured in the first place." The leader's smile vanished as he stared at the young penguin. He sighed.

"Well, after I fell through that trapdoor. . ." He went through everything that happened from that point to the part where Private fell through the ceiling.

"Oh, dear," The small penguin whimpered. "They were seriously going to eat us all?"

"Yep."

"What do we even taste like, anyway?" They all looked at Rico.

"Chick'n." He grumbled. Private's eyes widened.

"Chicken!?"

"Uh-huh." There was an awkward silence. Finally, Skipper spoke up.

"Great, I needed to know what I tasted like," He muttered sarcastically. "Well, I think we've had enough scares for one Halloween night." The others agreed.

"Too bad this house wasn't really haunted." Kowalski sighed. "I was looking forward to investigating paranormal activity." Suddenly, the electricity in the mansion shut off, drenching the place in total darkness. Rico coughed up his flashlight so they could see each other.

"That was strange. . ." Kowalski said. Behind them, the heard an ominous moan. They turned to see a white fog appear out of thin air and slowly take shape. It was a little girl, although she looked anything but friendly.

"Well, Kowalski, you said you wanted to investigate the paranormal. . ." Skipper whispered nervously. "Here's your chance." The scientist grew pale.

"Uhh. . . On second thought, I think I'll just stick to good ol' science."

"Good idea." The four penguins bolted out the front door and headed to their car. Rico turned the key in the ignition, but nothing happened.

"Hurry up, Rico!" Skipper shouted. The crazed penguin continued struggling with the key.

"I'm tryin'!" He grunted. Private was clinging onto Kowalski in the back seat, shaking terribly.

"This is just like in those scary movies! Just when you're trying to escape, the car won't start!"

"CURSE YOU, CLICHÉS!" Skipper shouted, shaking his clenched flipper at the sky. That seemed to work, as Rico managed to get the car started a moment later.

"'Ey! It work'd!" He cheered.

"Step on it, Rico!" The mohawked penguin slammed down on the gas pedal and the car took off, kicking small branches into the air behind them. He swerved onto the road and the penguins disappeared into the night.

 _ **The End**_

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 **Ta-da! Another story complete! :D I hope everyone enjoyed my first-ever seasonal story! If you did, be sure to favorite it and/or send in a review (doing so helps me improve and lets me know I still have an audience)! ;) Also, feel free to visit my profile to find more stories (you can even follow and/or favorite me there, too)! :D Thanks again for reading and have a Happy Halloween, everyone! ^v^**


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